Bloodstained (Thorin x OC)

Stone Giants

The group then set out on the thin mountain pass after a few more days. Agarwaen led the group with Thorin directly behind her, and the rest of the company falling behind him.

Wind blew between the peaks, making an eerie whistling noise, and the sounds of rocks crumbling and falling in the distance made the air tense around them. Agarwaen wanted to get out of these mountains as fast as she could, especially with the path Gandalf was having them take.

"Are you sure this was the best path?" Thorin asked, very displeased from behind her.

"This is the fastest path. The safer one would add six days to our journey, and I assumed that would not bode well due to being pressed for time." Thorin did not answer her. She was correct in assuming that. He'd rather face the rocky cliffs than arrive too late at the door and have to wait another year to reclaim his kingdom.

When they finally reached a larger stretch of path, Thorin called for everyone to break for a few minutes. Nerves ran wild when travelling on the edge of cliffs like that, and everyone needed a few minutes to breathe.

"I thought she said she'd get us there safely." Agarwaen heard Dwalin mutter to Thorin.

"The only other path would add six days to the journey." Thorin responded, earning a sharp nod from the other dwarf. At least she could sleep at night knowing he respected her choice of paths. That meant he trusted she knew what she was doing.

"I don't know if I've ever been somewhere so scary." Bilbo said as he approached her.

"I'm sorry, Bilbo. I wouldn't have brought you all on this path unless I had to. I've had bad experiences myself here."

"What kind of bad experiences?" Ori's quiet voice asked. He was as pale as a ghost and refused to look over the edge of the cliff. He just sat, clutching his journal to his chest. She knew telling him would make his nerves even worse.

"Almost falling off, that's all." She said shortly. "Are you doing alright, Ori?" He shook his head 'no'. She was about to call Dori to see if he could help his brother, but Ori stopped her before she could.

"Dori will call me a baby." He said. "I grew up in the mountains, I shouldn't be afraid." Agarwaen pitied the dwarf. Living in the mountains yet afraid of heights.

"I'm afraid of water." She said in attempts to distract him from his fear.

"What?"

"When I was a child, my friend was nearly swept away by strong river currents, so now I'm afraid of water."

"That must've been scary." His voice was a little bit less shaky.

"It was. But she was alright in the end. Neither of us went near the river again. But it's okay to be scared. More times than not, it keeps you from danger."

"Yes, I suppose it does." He said timidly. "So even after all these years, you're still afraid of water?"

"Not as much as I used to be, and I do what I have to do, but yes."

"Nori says he thinks you're a thousand years old."

"Not quite. I'm just over seven hundred." She smiled at him. So there were, in fact, rumors going around about her. That's just swell.

"May I ask..." He began, wondering if he should go on, "Why is your voice so different?" Fili overheard the question, and turned to face the two.

"Yeah, what's the story behind your voice?" His louder voice captured the attention of a few other dwarves. There was no going back now, she supposed.